A comprehensive, production-grade technical guide to modern ICANN Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP, RFC 7483/9082) and RFC 3912 port 43 WHOIS inspection. Discover how sponsoring registrar intelligence, IANA IDs, lifecycle timestamps, EPP domain transfer lock security, authoritative nameserver delegation, cryptographic DNSSEC verification, and privacy redaction shielding work across 200+ worldwide ccTLDs and global extensions.
Universal WHOIS & RDAP Domain Registry Lookup
Authoritative registrar intelligence, real-time lifecycle timestamps, EPP transfer lock inspection, and cryptographic DNSSEC ownership verification.
- ns1.google.com
- ns2.google.com
- ns3.google.com
- ns4.google.com
Loading authoritative registry record...
| Domain | Registrar | Registration Date | Expiry Date | Days Left | Lock State | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch to Batch Queue mode and click 'Lookup WHOIS Records' to audit multiple domains. | ||||||
ICANN Standards, RDAP Protocols & Domain Ownership Principles
The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) is the modern successor to traditional port 43 WHOIS defined in RFC 7480-7484. Unlike legacy WHOIS which returned unstructured, free-form text varying wildly by registrar, RDAP returns standardized, machine-readable JSON over secure HTTPS. RDAP supports internationalized domain names (IDNs), native access controls, and structured role vCards, establishing the current standard mandated by ICANN for all accredited registrars.
Following the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforcement in May 2018, ICANN enacted the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. Under these privacy policies, registrars must mask personal identities (registrant name, street address, personal phone number, and direct email) from public registries to prevent harassment, identity theft, and spam harvesting. Technical timestamps, authoritative nameservers, and sponsoring registrars remain public.
EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) status codes communicate the operational condition of a domain:
clientTransferProhibited: Recommended setting. Prevents unauthorized transfers to other registrars (domain lock).clientUpdateProhibited: Blocks metadata modifications (nameserver updates) until unlocked.serverHold: Set by the registry operator to suspend the domain's DNS resolution due to legal dispute, non-payment, or abuse.redemptionPeriod: The domain has expired and can only be recovered by paying a restoration penalty during the 30-day grace window.
ICANN mandates that every accredited registrar must maintain an active Abuse Contact Email and telephone number displayed in RDAP/WHOIS records. When reporting security incidents, phishing websites, or malware distribution, forward full URLs, server headers, and evidence directly to the registrar's official abuse email provided in the Structured Dossier tab.